Facebook opens new AI lab in Canada

Montreal has emerged as one of the new headquarters of AI expertise over recent years. Businesses, research groups and ambitious talents have all settled around the Institute for Data Valorization, a merger between Polytechnique Montreal, Université de Montréal and HEC Montreal. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Facebook now wants to join in and utilise the considerable resources of this hub.

Under the guidance of dialogue systems and reinforcement learning expert Joelle Pineau, the social media giant has now expanded its AI project FAIR from Silicon Valley to the Canadian metropolis. From its new lab, Facebook is set to work on the next generation of AI technology, particularly in the areas of computer vision, natural language and video analysis.